AFS Breed Recovery Project AUS

AFS Breed Recovery Project AUS Dedicated to locating, preserving and rebuilding Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS) genetics.

🐄 Why am I doing this?A few year's ago, I discovered the story of the Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS)—a remarkable Aus...
24/06/2026

🐄 Why am I doing this?
A few year's ago, I discovered the story of the Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS)—a remarkable Australian breed developed through decades of research to produce a dairy animal suited to our harsh climate.
Like many Australians, I was shocked to learn it had all but disappeared.
I couldn't stop thinking about it.
What started as curiosity has become the AFS Breed Recovery Project AUS.
In just a short time, this project has began to connect former breeders, researchers, people who worked with AFS cattle, and owners of possible semen and embryo collections. Every conversation uncovers another piece of the puzzle.
The goal isn't simply to "bring back a breed." It's to determine what genetics, records and knowledge still exist before they're lost forever.
If you're involved in the Australian cattle industry—or know someone who is—please share this post. One old photograph, pedigree, semen straw, embryo, herd book or even a memory could become an important piece of Australian agricultural history.
Nothing is too small to be valuable.
🇦🇺 Let's see if together we can write the next chapter of the Australian Friesian Sahiwal.

Illustrations are artist's impressions based on historical descriptions of Australian Friesian Sahiwal cattle.

24/06/2026

Why Save the Australian Friesian Sahiwal?

Many people assume the Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS) was simply a Holstein-Friesian crossed with a Sahiwal and that was the end of it.
It wasn't.
The AFS was the result of decades of Australian research, breeding, selection and performance testing. Australian breeders, researchers and government programs worked tirelessly to combine the high milk production of the Holstein-Friesian with the heat tolerance, fertility, longevity, parasite resistance and hardiness of the Sahiwal.
Generation after generation, cattle were carefully selected to create a stable breed specifically suited to Australia's tropical and subtropical conditions. This wasn't an accident or a one-off crossbreeding experiment. It was a purpose-built Australian breed developed to solve real challenges faced by Australian dairy farmers.
The result was a breed that proved successful not only in Australia, but internationally, with AFS genetics exported to dairy industries throughout tropical regions of the world.
Today, however, the breed is believed to be critically endangered in Australia.
If the Australian Friesian Sahiwal disappears, we lose far more than a breed. We lose decades of Australian innovation, research, genetic selection and agricultural history. We lose bloodlines that were specifically developed to thrive in harsh climates and challenging production environments.
With increasing temperatures, changing climates and growing interest in resilient livestock genetics, these bloodlines may be more valuable today than ever before.
AFS Breed Recovery Project AUS was created to locate surviving AFS and AFS3 genetics, breeding records, photographs, historical information and former breeders, and to explore opportunities to preserve and rebuild this uniquely Australian breed for future generations.
If you have any information relating to AFS cattle, AFS3 cattle, bloodlines, breeders, semen collections, embryos, photographs or historical records, please get in touch.
Every lead matters.
🐄🇦🇺
AFS Breed Recovery Project AUS

24/06/2026

The Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS) was developed in Australia to combine the milk production of the Holstein-Friesian with the heat tolerance, fertility and parasite resistance of the Sahiwal. It was specifically bred to thrive in tropical and subtropical conditions and was exported to many countries around the world.

According to the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia, the breed had "none reported" in 2022 and only "1 breeder" listed in 2025. The Trust also notes that a pathway exists to rebuild numbers through an F3 breeding program.

The goal of AFS Breed Recovery Project AUS is to locate surviving genetics, breeding records, photographs, historical information and anyone connected to the breed's history, and to explore opportunities for its preservation and future recovery.

If you have any information relating to AFS cattle, AFS3 cattle, former breeders, semen, embryos, bloodlines or historical records, please get in touch.

Link:
https://rarebreedstrust.com.au/public/pages/sc-australian-friesian-sahiwal

23/06/2026

Welcome to AFS Breed Recovery Project AUS.
This page has been created to locate, preserve and rebuild Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS) genetics.
We are seeking information relating to:
• Existing AFS cattle • Historical breeding records • Photographs and documentation • Semen and embryo collections • Former breeders and researchers • Overseas AFS bloodlines
If you have any information relating to the Australian Friesian Sahiwal breed, please send us a message.
Every lead helps.
🇦🇺🐄

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Big River Way
Maclean, NSW
2463

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